[The following article was contributed by Maria Spadavecchia at directpayinc.com. a sponsor of the Library of Professional Coaching]
Ah, the excitement of Social Media. But before you jump in, be mindful of these fatal flaws.
1. Misconception – Merely starting a Facebook page will make your business explode into success. Beeeeep. Wrong answer. Social Media, in order to be highly effective, takes time and dedication. A good amount of thought must go into each and every status, Tweet, or blog-post in order to not only attract your audience, but to keep them interested in your business or service. And consistency is key – if you post for two weeks straight, then drop off the radar, not only might your followers wonder what happened, but as modern technology goes, you’ll likely drop off their feed altogether. And once that happens, it’s very hard to regain your presence.
3. Hashtag Highway — #Do #not #hashtag #every #word #you #post. Hashtags can be a helpful tool for tracking traffic and garnering interest on a specific topic, however overuse is #just #plain #annoying. See… #Truth.
4. Dropping the ball – Simply put, don’t do it. If you post “Like this status to enter a drawing to receive a free iPad.” Then you had better be sure you run said drawing and ship that iPad out to the winner pronto. People really like it when you do what you said you would do. It just makes them happy.
5. Boasting – While it’s great to have a healthy amount of pride in your accomplishments, no one likes a show-off. Sharing your success stories is a good idea – after all, your followers and fans likely want to hear all about how your business participated in the latest 5-k run to raise funds for a worthy cause, but to post each and every workplace victory might just come across as fishing for business.